Maintaining a Healthy PC
Maintaining a Healthy PC
The holiday season is over and the 2007 New Year has begun. It’s time to start making New Year’s resolutions. If you are like most people, one of your resolutions will be to get back into shape. Everyone knows how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But when was the last time you’ve thought about the health of your computer? For many, the computer is an integral part of their everyday life. You pay your bills online, perform online shopping, and use your computer for fun. Maintaining a healthy system is vital to an enjoyable computing experience. So why not make a resolution to get your computer in shape? With a little know how and some good advice, you will not forget about that resolution two months after you've started.
Preventative Steps
The Internet is lurking with viruses, worms, trojan horses, adware, spyware and other malicious programs collectively known as malware. These programs are just waiting to attack a vulnerable machine. The best way to maintain a healthy system is to prevent malware from entering your machine in the first place. The following recommendations will help build a solid wall between you and the Internet.
Run anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall programs. The foundation to any secure system is to have antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall programs. Charter offers the comprehensive, all in one Charter High-Speed Security Suite® at no additional charge for 3, 5, and 10Mbps subscribers. For more information and to download the security suite, please visit: http://charter.com/security.
Keep your operating system up-to-date. Microsoft releases critical updates for its Windows XP and 2000 operating systems on the second Tuesday of every month. Updates can be obtained automatically and also through http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Microsoft ended its support for Windows ME, 98SE, and 98 on July 11, 2006. Support for Windows 95 ended in 2001. No critical updates are available for those operating systems.
Consider upgrading your Windows operating system. If you are running an operating system that is no longer supported by its manufacturer, you are potentially leaving your computer vulnerable to security risks. Many malicious programs take advantage of holes in your operating system. By upgrading to a supported operating system, you will be able to help close the security holes and reduce your risk of attack.
Consider upgrading your web browser to IE7, Firefox2, or Opera 9. Microsoft, Mozilla and Opera Software ASA recently published major security upgrades to their web browsers. Some of the new features for these web browsers include: detection of phishing sites, spyware detection, simplified deletion of private information and improved data encryption.
Safe Computing Practices
Your doctor makes recommendations on how to maintain a healthy body. You try to eat right, exercise, and limit unhealthy practices. The same is true for your computer. Healthy computing practices will minimize your risk of getting your machine infected. The following tips will minimize your risk.
Avoid using file sharing programs. Not only can downloading copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder be illegal, you are also opening your machine up for infections. Many file sharing programs automatically share files and folders on your computer. When you are downloading files from file sharing programs, you are downloading something from a complete stranger. You inherently assume that person you are downloading the file from is trustworthy and that you are receiving the file you requested. That’s a risky assumption. The safest way to avoid getting infected by a file sharing program is not to use one
Only download programs from trusted websites. Freeware/Shareware often includes spyware and adware. Be sure to read the End User License Agreement before installing Freeware/Shareware. The agreement usually states what else you will be installing if you install the downloaded program and what information it sends back to the company. If it is not a reputable source, don’t use it.
Use caution with IM attachments, links, and social networking websites. Avoid downloading attachments and clicking on links from unknown sources using instant messaging programs. If you are chatting with someone you do trust, scan the attachment using an antivirus program before opening. Even someone you know can accidentally send you an infected attachment. Use caution while surfing social networking website. Websense Security Labs recently announced a new worm spreading on the MySpace network. The MySpace XSS QuickTime worm exploits the JavaScript support within Apple's embedded QuickTime player. The vulnerabilities are being used to replace the legitimate links on the user's MySpace profile with links to phishing sites.
Only open email attachments from trusted sources. Most viruses and worms replicate themselves through email. Only open email attachments from people you trust and expect attachments from. Also, before opening the attachment, ensure your antivirus program scans the attachment for malware.
Turn off Preview Pane for your email client. Many malicious emails embed code into the body of the email. When the email is opened, the code is automatically executed. The Preview Pane feature automatically opens your email. This can execute the malicious code and infect your machine. Turning off the preview pane will safely allow you to select and delete the malicious email without actually opening it.
Infected PCs
You cannot trust an infected computer. If your computer is infected with malware, the malicious program often tries to spread and replicate itself to other machines. It attempts to damage data on your computer, and track your surfing habits. The infected machine may also try to steal your personal information which could lead to identity theft. Phishing, the most common form of identity theft, accounted for more than $2.8 billion in financial losses in 2006, according to Gartner Research . The following tips will aid you in cleaning your machine.
Perform local and online virus scans. F-Secure, the developer of the Charter High-Speed Security Suite® offers an online virus scan free of charge. F-Secure’s online virus scan will detect and attempt to remove viruses on your computer. You can run the online scan by visiting: http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml.
Perform a local virus scan using an emergency rescue disk. Many antivirus programs allow you to create an emergency rescue disk to use in the event your computer becomes infected. When you boot from your rescue disk, the antivirus program will scan your computer for viruses before your operating system loads. Performing this process will give your antivirus program access to files that may have been locked by the operating system. Refer to your antivirus help files for assistance with creating an emergency disk.
Manually remove malware. Not all malware can be removed by a local or online virus scan, so manual removal of the malware may be required. If you know the name of the malware that is infecting your computer, perform an online search with the key words of “removal” and the name of the virus. You will find a wealth of information on how to manually remove the malware. Many antivirus companies provide removal tools for a specific virus outbreak, which makes the virus easier to remove. Note: manually removing a virus can be a tedious and a difficult talk. If you do not feel comfortable with the process, take your computer to a professional for cleaning.
Reformat and reinstall your operating system. Reformatting your hard drive will remove most malware but it will also delete all of your personal files. Due to the data loss involved with this process, this step should only be used as a last resort. Before you begin this process, have your operating system or restore disk handy and refer to your PC manufacturer for assistance.
For more information about online security, please visit http://charter.com/security.
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Originally Posted by Hugh Lincoln
